The present invention relates to a device and system for the management of a battery pack used as a power back-up for an A.C. power source. The invention has particular application to distributed telecommunication systems and enables the useful capacity and health of a back-up battery power source of one or more of the links in the telecom system to be monitored, assessed and managed from a remote location.
The invention may be used in conjunction with any device or network of devices which is battery-powered, or which uses a battery pack as an alternative or back-up power source, such as telecommunication relay sites, fibre optic sites, computers; telecommunication or station batteries; telephone switching facilities and portable test equipment.
Other potential applications include railway crossing and switch systems; mobile electronic equipment battery packs used in cellular telephones, computers, camcorders or electric vehicles.
There is presently no fully reliable and accurate means for determining the useful capacity of batteries, e.g. those used as a back up for a primary AC power source for an instrument or device which is situated at a remote location. In the event of an AC power failure, it is essential that the DC battery back-up power operate efficiently and at the required capacity. To date, there has been no practical method to load test a back-up battery at a remote site. Conventional devices measure voltage, impedance, electrolyte specific gravity or other battery characteristics, but do not provide the user with direct information concerning the length of time the battery will operate under load.